How to Read a Greyhound Race Card

Written by jim skelter

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Make an informed bet by knowing how to read a racing card. (Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images)

A greyhound racecard is a racing program containing information regarding a greyhound racing dog. Most bettors become discouraged at the racetrack because race cards are notoriously difficult to read, unless you know what you are looking at. Greyhound race cards contain details including the dog's racing records, the dog's weight, the track condition and the dog's racing grade, among other important details that will enable you to make an educated bet on a dog.

Skill level:

Moderately Challenging

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Instructions

1

Start with the information on the far left. Look at the top left to find the shape of the racecourse and the distance of the course just under the track diagram.

2

Look for the big bold number with a colour name printed underneath it. The number is dog's post position and the colour is the colour the dog is wearing.

3

Look to the immediate right of the post position number. At the top of the main bracket is the name of the dog. Just underneath the name, from left to right, is the colour of the dog, its sex, birth month, sire, and dam.

4

Look to the right of this information in the middle of the card. The bold number is the set weight followed by three horizontal columns. This is the racing record. The top column is the number of starts, the middle column is the track record and the bottom column is the purse total.

5

Look to the right of this at the top right of the bracket. There are three names listed, the first of which is the kennel, the second the owner and the third is the trainer.

6

Look back to the far left of the bracket under the dog's name and you will see a list of information in vertical columns. This is the dog's racing history. The first column shows the dates of past races and the performance of the dog, the second column is the racing distance, the third column is the track condition (F for fast, W for wet, S for slow), the fourth is the winning time and the fifth is the dog's racing weight.

7

Look to the right of the last section to the middle section full of numbers. The first column is the post position, the middle column is the position at different points and the third column is the finishing position and length.

8

Find the last section on the right. The first column is the race time, the second column the previous odds up to 60p, the third column is the chart writer's comments, the fifth column is the racing grade (M for maiden up through AA for most experience), the sixth column is the top 3 finishing dogs and the last column is the number of dogs that raced.

9

Look at the top middle of the card for the track name. Just under that is listed the race number. Under that is a list of the types of wages offered for the race. On the top left corner of the card is the grade of the dog.